A plane that was in fact designed by a German, Gustav Lachman. He was arrested in January 1940 and contined to work for Handley Page from Lingfield prison. He bacame a British citizen in 1949.
My grandad Eric, was a navigator, and he flew in Hampdens. One plane he flew in crashed on take-off, near Wolverhampton, I believe due to engine failure? All managed to escape the wreckage, except for the pilot who was too large to get out of the cramped aircraft, and he burned to death. My grandad also suffered burns to his hands and face, but would fly again later in the war. Always worth remembering how young these airmen were, and the awful things that they were put through. Excellent to see this aircraft remembered on your channel.
He was a very special man. I was very close to him. He lived until age 93. My son got to meet him and my granny loads of times as well. Very lucky. My granny was a nurse during the blitz on Glasgow. She had many horror stories of doctors triaging burn patients with morphine. 3 grains, 3 grains, 1 grain. etc. 3 grains was OD and it was a mercy. Luv and Peace.
My Grandfather was crew on the Hampden. One mission they developed engine trouble and were separated from the rest of the flight. Returning to England (outside of scheduled flights), the guns on the coast shot the plane down. My father has a photograph of the crew standing in front of the downed plane, with a couple of farmhands (with pitchforks) who'd come to investigate.
The were easy mistaken for a Dornier 17. A flight of them left from Drem airbase in East Lothian and two were shot down by friendly flak on the Firth of Forth. Those crews were not as fortunate as your father. Thanks for sharing your story.
@@Gorbyrev The Germans (and Allies) had a habit of taking downed planes, and where not too badly damaged, they would get them back into flight to use for subterfuge. It was because of this that the Allies published their missions for the day and provided them to the spotters along the south coast - basically time out, time back, type of plane and number. Anything spotted outside of the published window was assumed to be a valid target. While the Do17 was similar profile to the HP Hampden, my Grandfather & crew knew they were outside of their allotted mission time and were aware of the risk.
My father worked on them at "Fleet" in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada. He always liked the Hampden and wrote articles about it for the National Archives but did comment on the lack of room inside. He understood the pace of advancement of aviation wartime design. Unfortunately, due to such pace, the longevity of many lovely designs was cut short, so we never really developed long-term love affairs with some pretty nice planes.
Always remember the man who inspired the incredible production of aircraft during the war years in Britain was not a specialist in plane production but a newspaper magnate, Lord Beaverbrook - a Canadian
Canadians always punch above their weight, yet always end up at the back of the line when it comes to recognition. Probably because we don't use a foghorn to let everyone know of our accomplishments.
I met a man who flew Hampdens on long range weather forecasting missions for RAF Coastal Command. The issue of relieving oneself came up and he revealed that there was a rubber tube in the pilot's cockpit for that purpose.
And if you didn't treat your ground crew with sufficient respect they apparently just might block it, leading to a nasty surprise mid-air and mid-wee. :)
I was an LCVP coxwain and only had to lean over the gunwale to piss or puke. The guys taking a dump or inexperienced in vomiting needed some assistance! After a few weeks, you got your "sea legs" and didn't need any help.
After withdrawal from bomber operations the Hampden was repurposed as a torpedo bomber and maritime reconnaissance aircraft until replaced by aircraft such as the Beaufort and Beaufighter, in September 1942 two Hampden TB.1 squadrons, 144 RAF and 455 RAAF were detached to Russia to provide cover for Arctic convoys from German surface ships, the personnel from both squadrons left in late 1942 but before leaving trained up Soviet aircrew of the Soviet VMF, Soviet Naval Aviation, to operate the Hampdens which the Russians did until mid 1943 when losses and a lack of spares finally stopped them.
It's worth pointing out that both squadrons *flew* to Russian on a one-way trip via Norway and Sweden. 3 planes from 144 crashed into mountains on the way. After finishing in Russia, the crew returned as backload on an empty Murmansk convoy.
Because of the narrow fuselage they were often mistaken for the Dornier "Flying Pencil" and shot by their own side. I think the engines let them down also. Mark Felton has done an excellent video on the Dortmund Ems canal raid called the Bridge Busters, well worth watching.
Excellent. I'm so glad, that at last, someone is giving the Hampden some love. Thank you. If you want a real oddball aircraft used by the RAF in the last war, may I suggest the Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle? Tricycle undercarriage, twin engined bomber. Mainly used for 'special duties', during the war.
Failed bomber. "Special duties" meant anything they could do with it where it wasn't likely to be shot at. The wood construction of the Albemarle wouldn't tolerate much in the way of battle damage.
I think, if lots of your male family members ( so dad, uncles, cousins, brothers etc) and friends/neighbours either fought in WW1 or were all joining up you’d do the same….I know I would. Thing is there were many more who didn’t and used excuses not to fight. A lot of the bootleggers / spins were men of fighting age / ability etc but managed to always avoid getting called up. In today’s world, if …sorry when, a world war starts there’d be much less joining up at least in the west due to the way many think everything is a conspiracy and not wishing to doe for their government. Mean while in Asia / Africa where the mindset is different ( possibly because of culture but more so possibly the blind following of religion/faith) they are more than happy to go into battle. One only has to look at the battles between waring African nations or the skirmishes between India/Pakistan. Ps to avoid the ‘racist’ comments I would like to clarify I am asian myself so only reflecting what I see and hear when watching the news, travelling to those countries, chatting to friends / family.
The enlisting part was largely carried by a sense of duty and adventure etc. The really tough part would be getting back inside the plane for another mission after days and nights of near misses and watching some of your fellow bombers go down. As for today, Ukraine and Israel don't seem to have encountered a shortage of people that are willing to fight for their countries.
@@jonh9561 Points well made, and ones I agree with totally. Re Israel and Ukraine, I think patriosim has a lot to do with it...especially as in both cases they've been under attack/had skirmishes for ages..In the west, when was the last time Germany, France or us Brits had anyone threaten us on our soil/borders (leaving aside the suicide bombing nut jobs). I'd like to think we will still fight to protect our loved ones but when I see, at least in cities, how many different cultures live here, not all will be as patriotic to fight. If anything judging by how recent protests have shown, many would rather fight this country than defend it.... .I hope I'm wrong
You more than likely would if you saw another country with a large military methodically attacking and occupying other countries. Most people will fight if their homes are threatened.
@@jonh9561 As stated by friktionrc; The US has had the good fortune to be far from hostile nations and protected by oceans for thousands of miles. I would bet many differences between people would be (temporarily) put aside if invasion was taking place. Defending your home and family should, and would, trump political, racial and social differences. As was the case post 9/11.
My dad trained on Hampden’s in Canada in 1943. As a navigator he loved the field of vision offered by the ‘greenhouse’ in the nose. Fortunately for him by the time he returned to England in early 1944 the aircraft was declared obsolete and he went on to carry out operations on Beaufighters!
In the mid 1980s I was a student at St Albans college...Radlett Aerodrome was ten miles away and accessible, we'd go there on weekends and nail our student cars and motorbikes up and down the runways. All that remained of Handley-Page was a control tower, everything else had gone. We had a lecturer, George Chapman, who was ex Handley-Page and always referred to them as "Handley-Page, makers of the finest aircraft in the world". Victor was amazing admittedly. According to Wikipedia they resisted merger into either Hawker-Siddeley or BAC, and died. But the merged companies also died , and that's the shame of it.
It's interesting how 10 or so years later aeronautical engineers, in an effort to enhance airframe performance would essentially flip that wing design over in favor of a swept back leading edge.
Great video. One of the unknown facts of the Handley Page Hampden is that SIr Guy Gibson VC the hero of the Dambusters cut his teeth on the plane. He avoided enemy flak by diving nose first at the target,. He was due to be on the Dortmund-Ems canal raid on 12th August, but excused duties because it was his birthday.
I saw one at a flea market last year and bought it on a whim. It was a very nice kit, went together well and the old Airfix kits even come with a stand. A very interesting subject.
Excellent plane... Forgotten polish PZL37 had similiar engines and size...and double bombload....and passage on side of pilot...and was outturning bf 110
This video must be poorly researched because I can assure you the Germans did not fear the Hampden. Almost HALF of the Hampdens which entered service were shot down! It was a Suicide Plane to fly in the daylight with 1,077 crew killed and 739 reported as missing in only two years! My father instructed in the BCATP before flying in combat missions for 424 and 434 Squadrons in a Halifax II and Lancaster. When he was instructing in Canada he often flew in Hampdens so knew the plane very well and said he was so happy it was no longer used in combat. He called it the Flying Pencil for obvious reasons but admitted it made him very nervous because the only way out if they needed to abandon the plane was through the floor hatch which was very small. At that time he was about 145 lbs and 5'10" so if that made him nervous, anyone larger was doomed.
Thank you for your comment. My grandad was involved in a crash in one of these. All escaped except for the pilot who was too large to escape the burning aircraft, so your comment makes perfect sense.
The people that flew these airplanes out of England had balls the size of coconuts. The weather goes down to zero visibility all the time in the UK, and thus they were forced to fly instrument approaches. Back then weather reporting was spotty at best and you were flying NDB approaches, which are terrible and give no glideslope information. Really, at times all they could do was descend after the final approach fix and hope for the best....
I think the very first air combat of the war was a friendly fire incident in which 3 Hampdens were attacked by Spitfires over England. They were mistaken for Do-17's.
The aeroplane that my grandfather went to war in. You missed that after they were retired by Bomber Command they went on to a second career as torpedo bombers. My grandfather flew as a navigator in one of these from May to October 1943 with 489 Squadron RNZAF. His last mission was on 26/10/43 and was the last ever combat sortie by a Hampden. The navigator sat in the nose by the way not behind the pilot.
Incase you haven't heard of it, there's a new book by Don Wilkie called 'Forgotten Heroes, Voices of No. 489 New Zealand Torpedo Squadron'. I just flicked through it now and there's a first hand account of that last Hampden op from one of your grandfather's crew mates.
My father was ground crew on a Hampden squadron based at RAF Pocklington in Yorkshire. He told me how he was involved in the rescue of the air gunner of a damaged one that crashed on landing and collided with a carrot clamp just off the runway. The fuselage had filled with carrots pinning the gunner to the rear plexiglass windows.
Hi Dark Skies, the main issue with the Hampden and it's inlined engines counterpart the Hereford, was that was no room for a copilot, he had climbed into the cockpit where his crew member, claustrophobia bekonds, had entered the fuselage, so there was no way that his crew members could pull him out of the pilot seat, if he was injured or killed
Same thing applies to quite a few World War II planes, including the Messerschmitt BF110, the JU87 Stuka, the Grumman Avenger etc. There's a horrible moment in the Battle of Britain film showing the plight of a rear gunner in a JU87 after the pilot has been shot.
@@richardjoyce7198Pronounced correctly in English though...US English uses the American Webster Kindergarten dictionary, not the English dictionary of grown up correct spelling and received English...😅
Remember not many aircraft developed in 1936 had good performances in the early years and how many Allied aircraft from France, the Dutch, Poland were bombing Germany in 1939/40? probably nil! So I suppose it was feared during the conversion to the night raids as they were one of the only aircraft bombing Germany along with Wellingtons. The superior Beaufighters and Mosquitos replaced this aircraft mid early in the war. Other Hampdens converted to Torpedo bombers later. Then came Halifax, Stirlings, Lancasters and they reaped the whirlwind.
I recall reading of a returning Hampden making it to Felixstowe, crippled and shot up, it crashed into the prominent building at the docks there. The building was repaired and stood for another 40+ years before being demolished.
While comparable to its contemporary German cousins (Do 17 and He 111), the Hamden did not really represent a leap forward compared to the Whitley. Like other twin engined bombers of the time, the altitude was rather low and it was therefore quite vulnerable. What the British needed at the time was not an average bomber, but an outstanding one. And both parties had no long range fighters to protect their bombers. I don't think the Nazis had any particular fear of the Hampden as the title suggests. The fear came later and was associated wtih the Mustang, the Mosquito and the Thunderbolt and the opportunity these planes created.
Nothing in this video shows how or why the Germans were scared of the Hampden. If anything, the crews were more afraid than the Germans because, despite their speed and manoeuvrability, they were easy prey to flak and fighters and the crew found it difficult to get out.
My Grandfather Flew FW190 A8. 42-43 he had 29 assorted confirmed kills, including three B17, four Lancaster, eleven Hurricane, and, three Spitfire. He returned to Denmark after the war, and told his stories with relish.
An interesting and informative film, as far as it goes, but a great pity there are so many clips that show Vickers Wellingtons, both in flight and on the production line being manufactured. The clip of General Eisenhower clearly discussing Operation Overlord in 1944, while the narrative discusses August 1940 was the final travesty. There must be plenty of clips of RAF officers discussing maps, without using such an obviously wrong scene, several years out of place...
There's a memorial to the crew of one of these that were all killed in a crash when it skimmed tree tops while coming into land during the war at Brize Norton very close to where i live .......RIP Brave young men .
November 30, 2023 - A very interesting video like all of the Dark Skies videos. As a child of WWII, and a devoted Military Affairs and Military History student. I find it interesting that I never heard of this plane, considering the role it played even into at least the early years of the war. Also, I never knew that the American President had championed a policy of avoiding operations that would cause civilian casualties. Obviously a policy that Hitler never gave thought to, thus unleashing all kinds of horrors on civilian populations for the rest of the war.😞
You've never heard of a Hampden and aren't aware the US bombed in daylight for the accuracy it allowed, despite the risk of being shot down and you consider yourself a "Military History student"??? LOL!!!
@@UguysRnuts In spite of your condecenting attitude, which I find to be on principal rather rude. I will admit that unlike yourself, I never said I was an expert on WWII air warfare. I believe that one of the reasons Dark Skies made this video is because the subject aircraft is realitively unfamiliar to a lot of people. Further, I am fully familiar with the air campaigns carried out by all of the allies in the mid to later years of the bombing of Nazi forces on mainland Europe. I hope you not as insultingly smug for your own sake, as you appear to be in your comments here.😏
@@MorganOtt-ne1qj Thank you.👍👍😊 I find that people tend to be a lot more rude online than in face to face conversations. Of course, some people are just prats.. or jerks, if you're an American. Fyi, Morgan happens to be one of my favorite names along with Christopher, and Sebastian. I was often called Morgan by higher ups in the military, in spite of my name tag plaining saying MORAN.😁 Stay well and happy Holiday season. 🎄🤶🏼🎇🎆
An interesting video about a unique bomber design. Unfortenately I have not been able to view it till the end, due to the disturbing and unmatching background music. What a pity!
Why does this video state that the Germans were afraid of it? Why is this plane called "fast" when even every German bomber was faster, let alone their fighters? The Hampden could not even outrun the Goster Gladiator, a double decker.
I thought the Hampden was known as the “flying coat hanger”due to the shape of the wing. The “suitcase” was the monica of the Martin A-26 Invader connected to its original configuration severely affecting pilot visibility and his situational awareness.
Huh? Britain did have the means to strike back at Germany and did in fact throw the italians and germans out of North Africa, denying them the Middle East oil, and before the merikans decided to turn up.
Er, No. Operation Torch Nov '42, Kasserine Pass Feb '43 were entirely American Operations B4 the Germans capitulated in May '43. So wrong by 6 months and who took part.
WWII ... what an insane unnecessary waste of lifes, time, resources, money ... looking back this was totally insane. Why do some people think they can or should take over the world?
Not questioning if Germans were "scared of" the Hampden, I do Know that crews were terrified because it was a thin flying cage and crewmembers were confined and lacked mobility. The aircraft were retired to training units and later scrapped, because their sight brought "scary" memories.
Now ChatGPT told me that the number of military aircraft Germany had was 40,000. It is more that the number of aircrafts in the world. Beyond my mind to comprehend. And then how did they produce that much aircrafts in a short time??
I'm really scared as well .....make it stop make it stop NOW !!! The Dark Skies dad of cat voice of doom and gloom ....that even makes the old head of Pudding Simon of Whistler sound engaging in a "needs must" way .
Think about using music from another era, something more in keeping with the time of the video you're showing. It would be a better fit if you could find instrumental music from that era, even with lyrics it would fit better.
I 'care' for the graves of an RCAF Hampden crew from an OTU, shot down on the night of 26th March 1942 by an intruder. It crashed about four miles from where we live, having flown to RAF Polebrook to refuel and RTU. Many spent cartridge cases were found in an around the wreckage, so they HAD fought for their lives.
The earlier WW2 aircraft are critiqued for being rapidly outdated and outclassed. If it wasn’t for their generation, neither designers or crew would have a clue transitioning to these wonder planes That somehow recreated the immaculate conception
Does anyone know if those holes in the wheel hub at 2:43 are some wheel spin up, before landing. There was some cups on some York tyres that did a pre spin. Best Dave
That could and did happen to the "Mosquito" with its monocoque plywood/balsa fuselage. In the low-level Amiens Jail attack, Pickard's aircraft had its tail shot off by a fighter, leaving the crew trapped as the plane dived into the ground.
First of all, thank you for highlighting the often overlooked Hampden, but the video was completely spoiled for me by the inclusion of absolutely unconnected footage of the Vickers Wellington, the De Havilland Mosquito and the Consolidated B24 Liberator, together with shots of Dwight D. Eisenhower and of course the totally out-of-context background rock music. This kind of mistaken material diminishes the credibilty of the rest of the excellent research, which is a shame.
A plane that was in fact designed by a German, Gustav Lachman. He was arrested in January 1940 and contined to work for Handley Page from Lingfield prison. He bacame a British citizen in 1949.
It looks a German design.
like a Do-17 or Ju-88
Genau
Never knew that
I was going to say. That forward sweep design is totally German engineering
My grandad Eric, was a navigator, and he flew in Hampdens. One plane he flew in crashed on take-off, near Wolverhampton, I believe due to engine failure? All managed to escape the wreckage, except for the pilot who was too large to get out of the cramped aircraft, and he burned to death. My grandad also suffered burns to his hands and face, but would fly again later in the war. Always worth remembering how young these airmen were, and the awful things that they were put through.
Excellent to see this aircraft remembered on your channel.
He was a very special man. I was very close to him.
He lived until age 93.
My son got to meet him and my granny loads of times as well.
Very lucky.
My granny was a nurse during the blitz on Glasgow. She had many horror stories of doctors triaging burn patients with morphine.
3 grains, 3 grains, 1 grain. etc.
3 grains was OD and it was a mercy.
Luv and Peace.
Please stop the background music. I find it is just noise and a distraction to the narration
Totally agree and the “music” chosen makes a ridiculous sound track to the subject.
My Grandfather was crew on the Hampden. One mission they developed engine trouble and were separated from the rest of the flight. Returning to England (outside of scheduled flights), the guns on the coast shot the plane down. My father has a photograph of the crew standing in front of the downed plane, with a couple of farmhands (with pitchforks) who'd come to investigate.
The were easy mistaken for a Dornier 17. A flight of them left from Drem airbase in East Lothian and two were shot down by friendly flak on the Firth of Forth. Those crews were not as fortunate as your father. Thanks for sharing your story.
@@Gorbyrev The Germans (and Allies) had a habit of taking downed planes, and where not too badly damaged, they would get them back into flight to use for subterfuge. It was because of this that the Allies published their missions for the day and provided them to the spotters along the south coast - basically time out, time back, type of plane and number. Anything spotted outside of the published window was assumed to be a valid target. While the Do17 was similar profile to the HP Hampden, my Grandfather & crew knew they were outside of their allotted mission time and were aware of the risk.
The flying "Suit Case"
A lot 9f bri5ish planes were shot down by friendly fire
Excellent. Also contains a very interesting history of how bombing of cities came about.
The design of these WWII airplanes have always seemed so beautiful.
My father worked on them at "Fleet" in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada. He always liked the Hampden and wrote articles about it for the National Archives but did comment on the lack of room inside. He understood the pace of advancement of aviation wartime design. Unfortunately, due to such pace, the longevity of many lovely designs was cut short, so we never really developed long-term love affairs with some pretty nice planes.
Always remember the man who inspired the incredible production of aircraft during the war years in Britain was not a specialist in plane production but a newspaper magnate, Lord Beaverbrook - a Canadian
which is why Churchill called Canada the aerodrome of democracy
Canadians always punch above their weight, yet always end up at the back of the line when it comes to recognition. Probably because we don't use a foghorn to let everyone know of our accomplishments.
My uncle was an 18yr old Blenheim gunner.
As kids we were warned WWII was a taboo subject in his presence.
Blenheims were hopelessly vulnerable to flak and fighters when used on anti-shipping missions along the Dutch coast in 1941.
I met a man who flew Hampdens on long range weather forecasting missions for RAF Coastal Command. The issue of relieving oneself came up and he revealed that there was a rubber tube in the pilot's cockpit for that purpose.
What? no GI empty coke bottles with screw tops? "Hey mom, look; a bottle of lemonade is in the ditch." 😉
And if you didn't treat your ground crew with sufficient respect they apparently just might block it, leading to a nasty surprise mid-air and mid-wee. :)
I was an LCVP coxwain and only had to lean over the gunwale to piss or puke. The guys taking a dump or inexperienced in vomiting needed some assistance! After a few weeks, you got your "sea legs" and didn't need any help.
Pilot relief tube it was called, wooden funnel with a hose going out the belly.
Glider pilots still use a similar device.
After withdrawal from bomber operations the Hampden was repurposed as a torpedo bomber and maritime reconnaissance aircraft until replaced by aircraft such as the Beaufort and Beaufighter, in September 1942 two Hampden TB.1 squadrons, 144 RAF and 455 RAAF were detached to Russia to provide cover for Arctic convoys from German surface ships, the personnel from both squadrons left in late 1942 but before leaving trained up Soviet aircrew of the Soviet VMF, Soviet Naval Aviation, to operate the Hampdens which the Russians did until mid 1943 when losses and a lack of spares finally stopped them.
It's worth pointing out that both squadrons *flew* to Russian on a one-way trip via Norway and Sweden.
3 planes from 144 crashed into mountains on the way.
After finishing in Russia, the crew returned as backload on an empty Murmansk convoy.
Because of the narrow fuselage they were often mistaken for the Dornier "Flying Pencil" and shot by their own side. I think the engines let them down also. Mark Felton has done an excellent video on the Dortmund Ems canal raid called the Bridge Busters, well worth watching.
An interesting video as always. Personally I find the background music in recent videos quite intrusive
Excellent. I'm so glad, that at last, someone is giving the Hampden some love. Thank you.
If you want a real oddball aircraft used by the RAF in the last war, may I suggest the Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle? Tricycle undercarriage, twin engined bomber. Mainly used for 'special duties', during the war.
I will check it out.
Thank you.
Failed bomber. "Special duties" meant anything they could do with it where it wasn't likely to be shot at. The wood construction of the Albemarle wouldn't tolerate much in the way of battle damage.
@@UguysRnuts Like towing gliders??? Low and slow. N 7:23 ot much chance of getting shot at doing that!
A lot of young men lost their lives on these raids and I sometimes wonder if, in my early twenties, I could have gone through what these men did.
I think, if lots of your male family members ( so dad, uncles, cousins, brothers etc) and friends/neighbours either fought in WW1 or were all joining up you’d do the same….I know I would. Thing is there were many more who didn’t and used excuses not to fight. A lot of the bootleggers / spins were men of fighting age / ability etc but managed to always avoid getting called up. In today’s world, if …sorry when, a world war starts there’d be much less joining up at least in the west due to the way many think everything is a conspiracy and not wishing to doe for their government. Mean while in Asia / Africa where the mindset is different ( possibly because of culture but more so possibly the blind following of religion/faith) they are more than happy to go into battle. One only has to look at the battles between waring African nations or the skirmishes between India/Pakistan. Ps to avoid the ‘racist’ comments I would like to clarify I am asian myself so only reflecting what I see and hear when watching the news, travelling to those countries, chatting to friends / family.
The enlisting part was largely carried by a sense of duty and adventure etc. The really tough part would be getting back inside the plane for another mission after days and nights of near misses and watching some of your fellow bombers go down. As for today, Ukraine and Israel don't seem to have encountered a shortage of people that are willing to fight for their countries.
@@jonh9561 Points well made, and ones I agree with totally. Re Israel and Ukraine, I think patriosim has a lot to do with it...especially as in both cases they've been under attack/had skirmishes for ages..In the west, when was the last time Germany, France or us Brits had anyone threaten us on our soil/borders (leaving aside the suicide bombing nut jobs). I'd like to think we will still fight to protect our loved ones but when I see, at least in cities, how many different cultures live here, not all will be as patriotic to fight. If anything judging by how recent protests have shown, many would rather fight this country than defend it.... .I hope I'm wrong
You more than likely would if you saw another country with a large military methodically attacking and occupying other countries. Most people will fight if their homes are threatened.
@@jonh9561 As stated by friktionrc; The US has had the good fortune to be far from hostile nations and protected by oceans for thousands of miles. I would bet many differences between people would be (temporarily) put aside if invasion was taking place. Defending your home and family should, and would, trump political, racial and social differences. As was the case post 9/11.
My dad trained on Hampden’s in Canada in 1943. As a navigator he loved the field of vision offered by the ‘greenhouse’ in the nose. Fortunately for him by the time he returned to England in early 1944 the aircraft was declared obsolete and he went on to carry out operations on Beaufighters!
The Beaufighter was feared far more than the Hampden.
In the mid 1980s I was a student at St Albans college...Radlett Aerodrome was ten miles away and accessible, we'd go there on weekends and nail our student cars and motorbikes up and down the runways. All that remained of Handley-Page was a control tower, everything else had gone. We had a lecturer, George Chapman, who was ex Handley-Page and always referred to them as "Handley-Page, makers of the finest aircraft in the world". Victor was amazing admittedly. According to Wikipedia they resisted merger into either Hawker-Siddeley or BAC, and died. But the merged companies also died , and that's the shame of it.
It's interesting how 10 or so years later aeronautical engineers, in an effort to enhance airframe performance would essentially flip that wing design over in favor of a swept back leading edge.
I recall that Guy Gibson flew missions during the Battle of the Bridges.
Thanks for another great video.
Gibson contemptuously called the 'Hereford' a "24-cylinder masterpiece" in his posthumously-published book "Enemy Coast Ahead"
I hadn't known of the HP Hampden. Thanks for another stellar informative video.
A truly "unique" airframe. Very distinct in the air. Thanks for giving some love to this...flying suitcase.
Great video. One of the unknown facts of the Handley Page Hampden is that SIr Guy Gibson VC the hero of the Dambusters cut his teeth on the plane. He avoided enemy flak by diving nose first at the target,. He was due to be on the Dortmund-Ems canal raid on 12th August, but excused duties because it was his birthday.
Three of Gibson's "Dams" crew were to be killed in 1943 on a second mission to cripple the Dortmund-Ems Canal.
Dammit! That's another classic Airfix kit I'm gonna have to buy!
There's plenty on Ebay. I did the Stirling with my dad as a child and they're always worth it
I saw one at a flea market last year and bought it on a whim. It was a very nice kit, went together well and the old Airfix kits even come with a stand. A very interesting subject.
@@timmorrison4117 I copped-out and just bought the Valom kit. It's much newer and a more detailed model. Pfft! So much for reliving my childhood!
Yep, I had it as a kid around 1970 😀
Excellent plane... Forgotten polish PZL37 had similiar engines and size...and double bombload....and passage on side of pilot...and was outturning bf 110
You mean the PZL 37 'Los' Elk with PZL Peggy 18,s, the sporty 'Hambone'?.
This video must be poorly researched because I can assure you the Germans did not fear the Hampden. Almost HALF of the Hampdens which entered service were shot down! It was a Suicide Plane to fly in the daylight with 1,077 crew killed and 739 reported as missing in only two years! My father instructed in the BCATP before flying in combat missions for 424 and 434 Squadrons in a Halifax II and Lancaster. When he was instructing in Canada he often flew in Hampdens so knew the plane very well and said he was so happy it was no longer used in combat. He called it the Flying Pencil for obvious reasons but admitted it made him very nervous because the only way out if they needed to abandon the plane was through the floor hatch which was very small. At that time he was about 145 lbs and 5'10" so if that made him nervous, anyone larger was doomed.
Thank you for your comment. My grandad was involved in a crash in one of these. All escaped except for the pilot who was too large to escape the burning aircraft, so your comment makes perfect sense.
The people that flew these airplanes out of England had balls the size of coconuts. The weather goes down to zero visibility all the time in the UK, and thus they were forced to fly instrument approaches. Back then weather reporting was spotty at best and you were flying NDB approaches, which are terrible and give no glideslope information. Really, at times all they could do was descend after the final approach fix and hope for the best....
An interesting video of this largely I suspect unheard of aeroplane and it’s incredibly brave young crews. Thank you.
Assemblyline footage in this video is that of the Vicker's Wellington with it's distinctive geodetic construction.
I think the very first air combat of the war was a friendly fire incident in which 3 Hampdens were attacked by Spitfires over England. They were mistaken for Do-17's.
Spitfires with Sailor Malan shot down Hurricane fighters. The Battle of Barking Creek.
Makes you wonder why they bothered with roundels
The aeroplane that my grandfather went to war in. You missed that after they were retired by Bomber Command they went on to a second career as torpedo bombers. My grandfather flew as a navigator in one of these from May to October 1943 with 489 Squadron RNZAF.
His last mission was on 26/10/43 and was the last ever combat sortie by a Hampden.
The navigator sat in the nose by the way not behind the pilot.
Incase you haven't heard of it, there's a new book by Don Wilkie called 'Forgotten Heroes, Voices of No. 489 New Zealand Torpedo Squadron'. I just flicked through it now and there's a first hand account of that last Hampden op from one of your grandfather's crew mates.
Wow, I know about the book and have it on order. Which crewmate was it?
@@colorpraeterita3824
My father was ground crew on a Hampden squadron based at RAF Pocklington in Yorkshire. He told me how he was involved in the rescue of the air gunner of a damaged one that crashed on landing and collided with a carrot clamp just off the runway. The fuselage had filled with carrots pinning the gunner to the rear plexiglass windows.
Guy Gibson of Dambusters fame described his adventures flying the Hampden in Enemy Coast Ahead.
Reading that at the moment! Fascinating account 😊
"...that 24-cylinder masterpiece, the Hereford."
Only heard of that book this morning! Spooky!
Hi Dark Skies, the main issue with the Hampden and it's inlined engines counterpart the Hereford, was that was no room for a copilot, he had climbed into the cockpit where his crew member, claustrophobia bekonds, had entered the fuselage, so there was no way that his crew members could pull him out of the pilot seat, if he was injured or killed
He will not reply, never has, never will. It is an ai and incapable of fact or manners
Same thing applies to quite a few World War II planes, including the Messerschmitt BF110, the JU87 Stuka, the Grumman Avenger etc. There's a horrible moment in the Battle of Britain film showing the plight of a rear gunner in a JU87 after the pilot has been shot.
have you seen a beaufighters cockpit?
5x5DAVENPORT IOWA DAD JOKE of the day
[Q] what are,the most mentally deranged, INSECTS,known to mankind?
[A] why, the LUNAR-TICK's,of course
@@majcorbin We'll let you know ---------
As you're talking about the RAF, you should use the British Leftenant not the American Lieutenant.
🎉 Pronounced different but spelt exactly the same
@@richardjoyce7198Pronounced correctly in English though...US English uses the American Webster Kindergarten dictionary, not the English dictionary of grown up correct spelling and received English...😅
04:58 UB-T was a machine in my grandfather's squadron. That particular plane was shot down on a raid to Essen.
can we dial back a bit on the background music please.
The music is extremely distracting, it doesn’t suit the subject matter at all.
The Killer Plane That Nazis Were Really Scared Of..........A HP Hampden, what complete bollocks.
Can you elaborate?
Totally agree.
Totally agree it was largely mediocre
Remember not many aircraft developed in 1936 had good performances in the early years and how many Allied aircraft from France, the Dutch, Poland were bombing Germany in 1939/40? probably nil!
So I suppose it was feared during the conversion to the night raids as they were one of the only aircraft bombing Germany along with Wellingtons.
The superior Beaufighters and Mosquitos replaced this aircraft mid early in the war.
Other Hampdens converted to Torpedo bombers later.
Then came Halifax, Stirlings, Lancasters and they reaped the whirlwind.
As always you are a great story teller.
I recall reading of a returning Hampden making it to Felixstowe, crippled and shot up, it crashed into the prominent building at the docks there. The building was repaired and stood for another 40+ years before being demolished.
Nice video. The commemoration of a little known aircraft ".. an audacious design ... " the 'flying suitcase' must be commended.
While comparable to its contemporary German cousins (Do 17 and He 111), the Hamden did not really represent a leap forward compared to the Whitley. Like other twin engined bombers of the time, the altitude was rather low and it was therefore quite vulnerable. What the British needed at the time was not an average bomber, but an outstanding one. And both parties had no long range fighters to protect their bombers. I don't think the Nazis had any particular fear of the Hampden as the title suggests. The fear came later and was associated wtih the Mustang, the Mosquito and the Thunderbolt and the opportunity these planes created.
When the smallest kid in class walks up and kicks the bully- the bully knows fear
We're it not for the Brave dedicated crews , these obsolete planes would have been nothing to fear .
Right, the USA and the UK were allies, not enemies!
They weren't feared.
Nothing in this video shows how or why the Germans were scared of the Hampden. If anything, the crews were more afraid than the Germans because, despite their speed and manoeuvrability, they were easy prey to flak and fighters and the crew found it difficult to get out.
It's the usual Dark Skies bollocks.
I worked with a bloke named Bob in when I was quite young. He was about five feet four and flew them with Coastal Command. He loved them.
My Grandfather Flew FW190 A8. 42-43 he had 29 assorted confirmed kills, including three B17, four Lancaster, eleven Hurricane, and, three Spitfire. He returned to Denmark after the war, and told his stories with relish.
An interesting and informative film, as far as it goes, but a great pity there are so many clips that show Vickers Wellingtons, both in flight and on the production line being manufactured.
The clip of General Eisenhower clearly discussing Operation Overlord in 1944, while the narrative discusses August 1940 was the final travesty. There must be plenty of clips of RAF officers discussing maps, without using such an obviously wrong scene, several years out of place...
I wouldn't fly that odd thing. Give me a Mosquito.
The Mosquito was just remarkable. An engineering masterpiece.
Unfortunately this was one of the best they had in '39 at the beginning.
@@fucker1714 A couple of others that come to mind Boulton Paul "Defiant"/ Fairy "Battle". There are a couple more but they elude me.
Beautiful aircraft, slim and agile once bombs released.
Here and there a stealthy Wellington photo bombed itself into the picture😅 5:43
Those bloody Wellies, ever the attention hogs! 😂
Perhaps it was a Hammington. 😂
I think I spotted Liberators, too. And the BBC award may have been in India or Africa.
Damn! That had me almost in tears! Wow! "... Balls as big as church bells." Dabny Coleman, "Dragnet" 1987.
I've watched a lot of your videos, but the music just ... well. I will be seeing you. Good luck.
There's a memorial to the crew of one of these that were all killed in a crash when it skimmed tree tops while coming into land during the war at Brize Norton very close to where i live .......RIP Brave young men .
November 30, 2023 - A very interesting video like all of the Dark Skies videos. As a child of WWII, and a devoted Military Affairs and Military History student. I find it interesting that I never heard of this plane, considering the role it played even into at least the early years of the war. Also, I never knew that the American President had championed a policy of avoiding operations that would cause civilian casualties. Obviously a policy that Hitler never gave thought to, thus unleashing all kinds of horrors on civilian populations for the rest of the war.😞
You've never heard of a Hampden and aren't aware the US bombed in daylight for the accuracy it allowed, despite the risk of being shot down and you consider yourself a "Military History student"??? LOL!!!
@@UguysRnuts In spite of your condecenting attitude, which I find to be on principal rather rude. I will admit that unlike yourself, I never said I was an expert on WWII air warfare. I believe that one of the reasons Dark Skies made this video is because the subject aircraft is realitively unfamiliar to a lot of people. Further, I am fully familiar with the air campaigns carried out by all of the allies in the mid to later years of the bombing of Nazi forces on mainland Europe. I hope you not as insultingly smug for your own sake, as you appear to be in your comments here.😏
Well said! 👍
@@MorganOtt-ne1qj Thank you.👍👍😊 I find that people tend to be a lot more rude online than in face to face conversations. Of course, some people are just prats.. or jerks, if you're an American. Fyi, Morgan happens to be one of my favorite names along with Christopher, and Sebastian. I was often called Morgan by higher ups in the military, in spite of my name tag plaining saying MORAN.😁 Stay well and happy Holiday season. 🎄🤶🏼🎇🎆
How can one not seem condecenting(sic) to someone who can't even spell the word?
An interesting video about a unique bomber design. Unfortenately I have not been able to view it till the end, due to the disturbing and unmatching background music. What a pity!
I agree. The music is superfluous and so annoying.
Is the background music really nessesary?
It never is.
Why does this video state that the Germans were afraid of it? Why is this plane called "fast" when even every German bomber was faster, let alone their fighters? The Hampden could not even outrun the Goster Gladiator, a double decker.
There is one being restored at East Kirby.
Nice rock music you have chosen for your new episodes over the lasts months. Cheers from Denmark.
Great video!
Wish the editing was better there were a few scenes of Wellington construction with no reference in narration
I always thought it was a great looking aircraft
Seen pictures of this aircraft. But didn't know nothing. Till now. 👽👍
Informative and captivating but please drop the annoying and unrelated metal music.
Video would be more enyoable without the metal music in the background...
I thought the Hampden was known as the “flying coat hanger”due to the shape of the wing. The “suitcase” was the monica of the Martin A-26 Invader connected to its original configuration severely affecting pilot visibility and his situational awareness.
Huh? Britain did have the means to strike back at Germany and did in fact throw the italians and germans out of North Africa, denying them the Middle East oil, and before the merikans decided to turn up.
Er, No. Operation Torch Nov '42, Kasserine Pass Feb '43 were entirely American Operations B4 the Germans capitulated in May '43. So wrong by 6 months and who took part.
The British mastered night fighting and thank God they did.
Which "god"?
Ahh one of those. Move on!
@@MichaelKingsfordGray Idiot.
In the early 70's we had a Scottish neighbour who flew these and they were known as 'Flying pencils'...
Handley Page frying-pan !
This time you got it right. This was a very efficient plane, and quite fast and agile.
Excellent!
Why the ridiculous headline?
Excellent, save the music.
At 4:11, the darned things look like Dragonflies!
Why does this guy use such wild hyperbole?
I find it hard to believe the Nazis were afraid of this obsolete thing...
Clickbait.
@@davidwhite4874clickbait 🐂💩!😂
WWII ... what an insane unnecessary waste of lifes, time, resources, money ... looking back this was totally insane. Why do some people think they can or should take over the world?
@justgivemethetruth … ask the Biden regime and the US military industrial complex… or the WEF for that matter. It’s coming from them after all.
What? Like the British had done?
@@davidwhite4874 ... actually no. Sorry if i hurt your feelings.
There is at the flying museum ln Langley, British Columbia, Canada.
My father was a gunner on the A20 Havoc, and my father stated that this plane was somewhat similar...
Great background tracks on this one
Great background music !
Thank God we had the parents and grandparents made of the right stuff
Hampden mentioned!
Look´s like a plane who was better than thought --thx for the report--tue rollf
Not questioning if Germans were "scared of" the Hampden, I do Know that crews were terrified because it was a thin flying cage and crewmembers were confined and lacked mobility. The aircraft were retired to training units and later scrapped, because their sight brought "scary" memories.
Now ChatGPT told me that the number of military aircraft Germany had was 40,000. It is more that the number of aircrafts in the world. Beyond my mind to comprehend. And then how did they produce that much aircrafts in a short time??
I'm really scared as well .....make it stop make it stop NOW !!! The Dark Skies dad of cat voice of doom and gloom ....that even makes the old head of Pudding Simon of Whistler sound engaging in a "needs must" way .
The background music is fucking with my a.d.d 😂😂😂😢😢😢
@mattwallace7058 The music is awful and severely detracts from the video.
It's awesome - from now on I'm watching all WW2 footage with screaming guitar rock in the background
@@maths-monkey they should do this everytime biden talks. More people would watch for the music 😆
Deffinatly needs more recognisation. It put a shift in.
Think about using music from another era, something more in keeping with the time of the video you're showing. It would be a better fit if you could find instrumental music from that era, even with lyrics it would fit better.
Gotta be Vera innit?
I 'care' for the graves of an RCAF Hampden crew from an OTU, shot down on the night of 26th March 1942 by an intruder. It crashed about four miles from where we live, having flown to RAF Polebrook to refuel and RTU. Many spent cartridge cases were found in an around the wreckage, so they HAD fought for their lives.
Great informative video , well presented & narrated, but ruined by unsuitable & unnecessary rock music.
Nazis seem to have been scared easily and frequently according to your click-bait titles.
The earlier WW2 aircraft are critiqued for being rapidly outdated and outclassed.
If it wasn’t for their generation, neither designers or crew would have a clue transitioning to these wonder planes
That somehow recreated the immaculate conception
Does anyone know if those holes in the wheel hub at 2:43 are some wheel spin up, before landing. There was some cups on some York tyres that did a pre spin. Best Dave
God bless the human race from Adelaide Australia with love and appreciation 🙏❤️🕊️🇦🇺🦘😊
Scary plane with that thin tail boom, one Flak hit and the tail breaks off.
That could and did happen to the "Mosquito" with its monocoque plywood/balsa fuselage. In the low-level Amiens Jail attack, Pickard's aircraft had its tail shot off by a fighter, leaving the crew trapped as the plane dived into the ground.
Thanks, Dark Skies.
It looks so fabulous from the front ❤
First of all, thank you for highlighting the often overlooked Hampden, but the video was completely spoiled for me by the inclusion of absolutely unconnected footage of the Vickers Wellington, the De Havilland Mosquito and the Consolidated B24 Liberator, together with shots of Dwight D. Eisenhower and of course the totally out-of-context background rock music. This kind of mistaken material diminishes the credibilty of the rest of the excellent research, which is a shame.
Also known as the flying tadpole, I believe.
As stated in the video, I believe.
Great video. But please note the aircraft was the Hampden, not Hampton.